


Three Times Wes Janson Takes Charge

by adeclanfan



Series: OnceAWraith!verse [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: X-Wing Series - Aaron Allston & Michael Stackpole
Genre: Anal Play, Babies!, Childbirth, F/M, Family Feels, Het and Slash, Infant CPR, M/M, Multi, Oral Sex, Polyamory, Post-Pregnancy, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Suicidal Thoughts, Threesome - F/M/M, Woman on Top, playful knife threats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:41:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25394020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adeclanfan/pseuds/adeclanfan
Summary: Joke all you want about Wes' maturity level, but there are times when he steps up and everyone takes notice.1. Heartbreakers of Adumar2. Three Rogues And A Baby3. Wraith DaddySet in the same AU as Once A WraithCOMPLETE
Relationships: Tycho Celchu/Wes Janson, Wedge Antilles/Iella Wessiri Antilles/Wes Janson, Wedge Antilles/Wes Janson
Series: OnceAWraith!verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023847
Kudos: 7





	1. Heartbreakers of Adumar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wes is both relieved and infuriated to see Iella at the reception on Adumar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning - mentions of suicidal thoughts, PTSD
> 
> Warning - angst, jealousy
> 
> My head cannon always includes poly relationships and an orgy, no matter which fandom I am writing in. It just happens.

"Are you trying to blow my cover, too? Did Wedge send you?" The haughty glare Iella Wessiri aimed his way would have made most sane men shy away, but Wes Janson was immune. He wasn't sane on a good day, and tonight the relief and pleasure he'd experienced at the reception when he'd seen Iella had slowly twisted hour by hour into a seething rage.

Unwilling to give her the opportunity to shut the door in his face, Wes shouldered past his irate Corellian lover and continued into the main living area of the modest apartment Iella called home here on Adumar. According to the intel Wedge gathered from his meeting with her earlier, this is where she'd come when she had dropped off their scanners.

"Wes!"

"Keep your voice down," he snapped at her, gruffly. His order did not go over well with Iella, and the ex-Corsec agent's eyes flashed dangerously at him, while her slack jaw clenched. 

Janson didn't care, and he deftly cut off what she was winding up to say. "First, you listen. I talk. Then, you can have your turn... which WILL include your explanation of why you left on an extended assignment and didn't bother to leave so much as a message on my comlink to let me know you'd be out of touch... indefinitely. 

"Did it ever occur to you I just might become worried when I heard nothing from you in... oh, I don't know, several MONTHS..." He glared at her. "No one has heard from you. Not Wedge, or Tycho, or Corran. Winter said you'd pulled an assignment, and even that much took nearly six weeks to wrench from her."

Closing his eyes, Wes pushed is anger and frustration down in a supreme effort to calm himself. The act caused the other riot of dark emotions he was feeling to leak past the anger and an ache formed in his chest.

Sithspit. Her abandonment hurt. They were lovers, being introduced to intimacy by their mutual lover Winter didn't alter his feelings. He'd fallen hard for this Corellian spitfire Intel agent all on his own. To have her just disappear unexpectedly from his life without a word frightened him. 

Janson lost more than enough people as a career fighter pilot with Rogue Squadron. 

When he couldn't find a single person who had spoken with Iella, he'd felt sick. And yes, shavit, maybe even slightly panic stricken at the idea she might have been captured or killed or injured while on assignment and might be unable to get home to them.

"I'm fine," Iella assured him, sensing the direction of his thoughts.

Wes fixed her with a death glare. "Well, guess what, Sweetheart? I'm not fine. I'm furious."

"I can see that," the infuriating woman replied quietly.

Wes turned his back to her, unclenching fists he hadn't realized he'd clenched and noting his palms were damp. "Couldn't you have at least sent a message to let me know you were going away?" The pain from his bruised heart leaked out just a little more. 

The air left Iella's lungs in a hiss."Wes. Are you ready to let me explain?" A hand rested lightly on his shoulder and he shrugged it off. 

As tempted as he was to stomp out and leave this hanging in the air between them, Wes couldn't move himself the dozen or so steps necessary to make a suitably dramatic exit from her apartment. 

Iella was here, as beautiful as ever, both alive and unhurt, and near her is where Wes wanted to be. Even if he wanted to strangle her for putting him through the last few months. Deep inside, he knew Iella's flight had to do with Wedge returning to Coruscant with a girlfriend in tow. He knew exactly how she felt, because it was the same way for him, but understanding didn't make it hurt less. 

Didn't Iella realize he'd been just as miserable and jealous inside?

Speaking of Wedge... "What did you say to Wedge when he came here? He returned to our suite looking like a baby bantha some swoop jockeys kicked in the head a few times."

"I don't want to talk about Wedge," Iella stated, firmly.

"Sure. Fine. Let's talk about the Minister you were with at the reception tonight, instead. Are you lovers with him?"

Iella started at the question. "What? No! I'm not. Nor would I choose to be. This is fieldwork, pure and simple."

"And I'm sure 'fieldwork' has never involved seduction... Please, give me some credit. You looked so beautiful tonight..." The heat was draining from him and Wes felt the urge to pull his cloak tighter around himself, protectively. "I bet the Adumari men are lined up three deep to ask you out on a date..." 

Stupid jealousy, Wes thought, loathing the feeling. Curse stupid love. And curse kriffing stupid broken hearts. 

Wes was so careful never to let himself care too much after Dack, until... Wedge. And then Tycho and Winter and... shavit it... Iella. Look at them, now. Wedge left first on his propaganda tour and then to play bodyguard to a VIP, and he'd fallen head over heels for a stranger in the process. The rest of Wedge's lovers were promptly forgotten, or at least, Wes felt forgotten. 

Tycho and Winter moved on, becoming officially engaged, planning a wedding, and moving in together. They tried to include Wes, and he did spend time with them when they asked, but without Wedge and Iella in the mix, Wes wasn't sure what he wanted from his life. 

Nothing made sense without Wedge, and Wedge was never going to be whole without Iella. They were puzzle pieces created by some higher power, designed to fit together.

"Wes..."

A thought came to him, and suddenly, Wes was frightened. He didn't like that. Hated it, in fact. "If you are going to dump a guy, you should at least do it in a letter." He told her, almost conversationally, and he was pleased with how reasonable his tone sounded. "There are rules to these things."

"I..." She faltered, looking as miserable as he felt. Iella really was dumping him.

"I'm going to go, now."

"Wes, wait. Don't you want to know the truth before you go?" 

A lump formed in his throat, threatening to choke him. "I don't know. I just don't know."

"It hurts, Wes. To see him happy with someone else hurts so much." There was no doubt who 'he' was, who 'he' always was for them both. "Don't you see? I missed my chance and Wedge found happiness with someone else. I saw them together and I wanted to hit something." She took a deep, shaking breath. "I've been through so many ups and downs in my life, but I had hoped on settling down, for..." 

Iella bit her lip, eyes brimming with tears, "I want a baby, before I get too old to even carry a child. I've wanted children since before I married Diric, but he was so much older than I was, and we never really talked about it while I was in Corsec. My work was too dangerous. I could see myself settling down with Wedge, having a home with him, and I just can't imagine a future without him."

Wes groaned, "Sithspit. I thought I was the only one who saw Wedge with his new girl and wanted to put a blaster to my head."

"Wes..." Iella gave him a sympathetic look. It only served to stoke his anger. He didn't want her sympathy.

"The irony is it's just so completely Wedge. They weren't right for each other. Everyone knew it and tried to warn him. When he finally figured it out, she beat him to the punch and dumped him first." He wanted to laugh and cry. 

It didn't excuse Iella bailing out on him and Tycho and Winter. They were a team. "I know it hurts, Iella, I'm hurting, too, you know. He's sleeping in the bedroom next to mine, and I don't know if there can ever be anything between us, again." Wes confessed to her. "The people on this planet are screwed up, and we could all get killed on this mission by the very people who profess to adore us. Personally, I wished I'd never accepted this assignment. 

"I'm having a hard time just being longtime Rogue comrades and good buddies. Tycho is suspiciously quiet, too. We may never get back to the way things were for the brief time before Distna. We came so close to being happy. All we needed was to make the final connection stick with you and Wedge, and our little family would have been complete and perfect." 

Iella sighed, not meeting his eyes.

"You ran away," Wes accused. "I had a plan, but when I came to tell you, you were gone."

"Yes, I did, and I'm sorry. I saw the opportunity to bury myself in a long-term mission, and maybe never resurface, so I took it. You..."

"I'm a reminder of Wedge."

"Yes, Wes. I'm sorry, but you are. You are the most beautiful of my collection of flyboy Rogue troublemakers."

"We are lovers, Iella. You and me. Outside of Winter and Tycho, and what we both feel for a certain idiot General, I... I love you." He let his words have a moment to sink in."If you don't come home after this assignment, I have tons of leave time, more credits than I can count, and an X-wing. I refuse to allow you run any more."

Iella looked at Wes as if she were seeing him for the first time, she opened her mouth to speak, but then thought better of it and closed it, again.

"If Wedge comes calling a second time, you fix this. Please, Iella. For all our sakes. I think you are the only one who can." With a wince, Wes added, "If we can't make it work with the five of us, you will always have me. We could put my brilliant plan into action, and date each other for real. No more hiding. You aren't too old to have a baby, you still have plenty of time, and you have me. I will give you anything you need to be happy. I promise."

Iella blinked at him, surprise clear on her face at his offer. She closed the distance between them throwing herself into his arms, burying her face in her chest as she wept.

When she was cried out, Iella sniffled, "You're right. I threw us away when I tried to escape Wedge. I knew it, too, and by the time the full weight of how much I missed you really hit me, I was here and couldn't communicate with anyone off-world. I wanted to tell you how sorry I was for leaving and not letting you know why." 

"I figured as much."

"I'm sorry. You're right to be angry."

"It's hard to be mad at you, when I'm really happy to see you," Wes told her. 

Iella looked at him through damp lashes, "I'm happy to see you, too."

Wes ran a hand through his hair. "It doesn't change the fact I want to turn you over my knee and spank you. You've never made me so angry before. It's weird and confusing and oddly kinky."

Iella gasped, and then huffed a laugh. "It certainly is. Being spanked by you isn't something I ever considered. You get spanked, not the other way around." 

"You think I haven't been paying attention and noting what you and Winter do? You doubt I could redden your pert, lovely bottom until you weep, begging me to stop, and promising to never disappear on me, again?" HIs cock twitched and it annoyed him. Down, boy, Wes told his sex drive. She's a deserter. Deserters don't deserve spanky sex, or any sex, for that matter. Not until they earn my trust back.

Iella flushed and the color made her look more alive in the harsh Adumari lighting. 

"Stop looking all beautiful and sexy when I'm mad at you," Wes growled at her. 

"I'm not doing anything. I haven't moved."

Wes raised an eyebrow at her, "You blushed."

"Well, you threatened to spank the Sith out of me." Her tone was indignant.

"You don't even have a Sith in you," he quipped. "The most I'd have to spank out is a minor Warlord or maybe a Moff."

"Ha ha."

Wes turned dark, serious eyes to her. "Please, Iella. Please, fix Wedge. Whatever you said, you can take it back."

"What about you?"

He scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "It needs to begin with you."

"Did your plan include how to tell Wedge about Winter and I? Or you and I?"

"It did, but now that's not going to go over well, the timing on all of this is awful. We're probably going to get killed by adoring Rogue groupies or a quartet of murdering Imperials before the end of the week."

Iella eyes hardened. "Stay out of trouble, Wes."

"How exactly do you expect me, or any of us, to do that? This whole place is trouble." 

"That adorable little native guide is supposed to be keeping you four in line..." Iella made a face and blew a raspberry. 

Wes rolled his eyes. "Not a chance. Kid was sucked right into the mass shadow of the Interdictor Cruiser named Wedge Antilles."

She chuckled, evilly. "That's good. I'm going to suggest his name to Admiral Ackbar for the next Interdictor we capture."

"Wedge will hate it. Having a ship named after him," he assured her.

"He would probably pay the Wraiths to blow it up."

Wes nodded, solemnly. "And we would be duty bound to turn it to space rubble in an effort to please him."

Iella looked up at him, smiling weakly. "I didn't dump you, Wes. How could I? You make me laugh, and I've had so few chances to smile in the last year. I've learned my lesson."

"Good," Janson told her. "Now, I can dump you, first." He stuck his tongue out at her. 

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Where's my note?"

"I didn't write one, yet. You get these instead. I was going to fold them into little X-wings and fly them off the roof of our building." He pulled a pair of folded pages out of his cloak's hidden pocket and handed them to her, watching her face as Iella examined the pair of graphite sketches Wes had done candidly of Wedge on their way to Adumar. 

"So you came here to yell at me and stomp around my apartment like a big sexy storm cloud and give me drawings of Wedge?"

Wes narrowed his eyes at her. "Is there a point you're trying to make? I don't want to look at those, anymore, that's all."

"My point is, Wes, this is our first fight. Do we get fantastic, multi-orgasmic make-up sex?" 

With a quick shake of his head, Wes said, "No sex... until it's you, me, and Wedge."

"Sithspit," Iella cursed, scowling. "Are you going to be able to stick to that when Wedge knocks on your bedroom door in the middle of the night?"

"Door is locked. He's still on my poodoo list, too."

"I understand. Anything interesting happen while I've been gone?" Iella asked, changing the subject.

Wes smirked at her. "The Wraiths threw an orgy for my Lifeday. Invited all the Rogues, too."

"They did what?! No way."

"That isn't a joke. I'm serious. Tycho threatened everyone with their lives to keep it a secret, and it was held discreetly in a fancy hotel suite far from the base."

"Loran gave you an orgy as your Lifeday gift?"

"Probably, it will never happen again, so you missed out. Even Corran and Mirax participated." 

It was something Wedge and Iella shared, the desperate need to be included in all the fun. That desire for inclusion was a driving factor in why Wes knew his plan would have worked. Wedge would never let Wes and Iella be a couple, once he knew about them, because deep down Wedge felt they were both HIS and the idea of them being happy without Wedge would rankle his enormous Corellian ego. 

Truth be told, Wes had been looking forward to Wedge's attempts to break them up. Their battle of wits would have been exhilarating.

Iella winced. "Ugh."

Wes rolled his eyes, "You wouldn't turn down a naked wrestling match with Mirax, and you know it."

"So was Winter at this orgy?" There was definite possessiveness in her tone.

Wes grinned at her sudden flair of jealousy. "No, and I don't blame her. Who wants a permanent mental image of a bunch of fighter jocks competing to see which squad can make the other bunch orgasm more times?"

"Shavit."

With a sigh, Wes said, "Look, I need to go. Might as well get back to my fancy suite, so I can lie awake all night folding up love notes from my many admirers and throwing them at the wall separating my room from Wedge's."

"Oh, baby," Iella whispered, sadly. "Come here." 

Wes was drawn to Iella and she wrapped her arms around his ribcage in a fierce hug. His head fell forward to rest on her shoulder, and a few tears silently slipped out, her tenderness cracking his control over his emotions. 

"I appreciate you coming here tonight, Wes, and straightening me out," she told him. "I'm glad you accepted the assignment, even if it's hard for you to be around Wedge right now. The most maddening part is he probably has no idea we are hurting."

He pulled back and let her see he'd been crying. "As great as he is as a CO, he's pretty bad with social awareness," Wes was forced to agree.

A finger caressed his tear tracked cheek and the dark stubble on his jaw. "I love you, too, Wes."

"Of course, you do. How can you not?"

Iella winced. "Adumar is terrible for your hotshot fighter pilot's ego."

"They think I'm darling..." Wes stated, indignantly. 

"You are darling," Iella assured him. "My darling one." She pressed a tender kiss to his lips. "Give me a chance to make it up to you. Don't go back to your suite, stay the night with me and just let me hold you."

Wes shook his head, not sure he could trust himself. The woman felt too good in his arms. He could already feel her melting his anger away. "Nuh uh. Wedge first."

She let him go, then, resigned. "Be careful walking back. A person doesn't need a logical reason in Cartann to want to kill you. This place is the most blood thirsty cesspit I've ever seen."

"That's saying something from someone who grew up in the Corellian system and worked for Corsec.""No kidding."

"Good night, my Iella."

"'Night, Wes."

<>_<>_<>_<>_<>_<>_<>_<>

Wedge stopped at the door to Wes' room and raised a hand to knock, but Tycho waved him off, "Wes isn't in there."

"Is he in the workout room?"

Tycho shook his head, "No. Wes went out a while ago." He led them into the suite's main room, passing the small dining table in its niche and into the living area with it's odd furniture and light fixtures. 

"Went out? Did he take Hobbie with him?"

"I'm right here, Boss," Hobbie called from where he was lounging on one of the couches half facing a window with a view of the bustling streets of Cartann at night. All motion and strange lights. 

Wedge nodded, and his attention returned to Tycho, "Did Wes take Cheriss with him?"

"No, he was alone."

The General frowned. "Is that a good idea? Wes alone at night on the streets of an unfamiliar city?"

Tycho considered this, shrugging. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He was dressed for stealth, not attracting attention." When this didn't mollify the other man, the Colonel added, "I have a pretty good idea of where he went. He won't be out all night. Wes knows we're flying in the morning early."

Wedge narrowed his eyes at the comment, and replied tartly, "If he wanted to get drunk, he can do that here."

"Wes may have been dressed for skulking, but he showered and prettied himself up, so I'm betting he had a date," Hobbie stated, smirking. 

Tycho shot the Major a warning look, but nodded, "He had a number of admirers at the reception tonight. I think a few even passed him notes on scraps of parchment. I saw them on the bed when I was in his room collecting his clothes from the reception for housekeeping staff."

Wedge's expression darkened further, and he turned on his heel and went back the way he came, while Tycho followed behind him, quietly amused at Wedge's jealousy. Wes' door was not locked and there were indeed a few pieces of parchment on the bed along with Wes' current journal. It just happened to be folded open to a sketch of Iella and Winter, both bare breasted and arms wrapped around each other's necks as they shared a kiss. 

Wes wasn't a bad artist. That particular sketch was one of Tycho's favorites from this latest journal, and precisely one of the reasons he'd opened the journal to this page when he'd taken it from under Wes' pillow where he normally kept it and placed it where Wedge would see it at the foot of the bed with the notes and in clear view of the other notes Wes had folded into little paper TIE fighters and launched at the wall.

Tycho resolved to speak with him when he returned from his visit to Iella's. Wes hadn't mentioned Iella by name, but Tycho had seen the stubborn set of Wes' jaw after Wedge had gone off this evening after dinner to speak with Iella. 

Truth be told, he'd been ready to go himself if Wes been set on going. How dare Iella just disappear on them without a word. Wes spent the last few months imagining the worst, all the while hoping for her to show up as unexpectedly as she'd departed. The way Janson's dark brown eyes lit up when Wedge mentioned she was at the reception... Tycho had been glad for the crushes of people and the generally organized chaos of the formal reception which kept Wes from causing a scene right then and there. He'd spoken with her only briefly and politely, and for that Tycho was proud of his lover. 

It was almost a shame Wedge and his new love had broken up, Wes and Iella had been good together, Tycho had to admit. They connected deeply and enjoyed each other's company, together with he and Winter, and on their own. He'd been ready to suggest Wes maybe approach her to take their relationship into the open when she'd disappeared.

Lost in his thoughts, Tycho hadn't seen Wedge pick up the loosely bound book of vellum sheets and start to page through them, until the General let out a hiss of surprise and ran a hand through his hair. "Are Wes and Iella dating?"

"Yes. Quietly, but yes."

"Since when?" Wedge demanded, more harshly than the man had a right to, given how much pain his dating a woman outside of their little circle, and not letting them know about it until he returned to Corsucant with her in tow and expected them all to be happy for him, had caused both Wes and Winter.

Tycho gave his longtime friend and lover an elegant shrug. "Since Winter and Iella showed up at his apartment and seduced him. So, shortly after we started dating Wes."

"And I'm only just learning about this, now?"

Tycho's patience wore thin at Wedge's attitude, and the mean little part of him which put the sketchbook out for Wedge to find felt a twinge of satisfaction. It was bad he wanted to make his best friend feel just a little of the hurt Wes, and him too to a lesser degree, felt at Wedge's new lover interest, he knew that. "You weren't dating Iella at the time, so she didn't feel it was your business to know, and she asked us to keep a low profile on her involvement with all of us because of her work with Winter in New Republic Intelligence."

Wedge considered this, and winced. "I haven't been around much the last year or so, or I'm sure I would have stumbled across you all together one of these times." He put the journal down on the bed where it had been, and turned to Tycho, "I'm sorry, Tych. I've been an awful boyfriend this last year, and probably even longer."

"I forgive you. It may be a little harder for Wes to forgive you, though, as he doesn't have our history together, and now he's also had Iella abandon him recently for several months all without her saying goodbye."

"What's with the sketches? I've never seen Wes draw. He's... talented."

Tycho debated just how much backstory to give without Wes' permission. He was Wes' CO and Wedge was their former CO, so he decided to tell Wedge the whole story. "After Distna, I insisted Wes start visits with a therapist. He stopped sleeping over at our apartment and I thought it was us getting engaged, but it was Hobbie who told me Wes had fallen asleep a few nights at his place after watching holos and each time he'd awakened screaming and shaking violently. Winter and I had only seen this happen to Wes once, so I didn't make the connection. Post traumatic stress is probably to be expected after what Wes went through. Wes' therapist is a good man, and a former fighter pilot, so they really connected. Wes felt like he could open up with him. It was at his suggestion Wes started keeping a journal. Mostly Wes doodled in the first one, but the doc was impressed with the efforts and challenged him to take the images out of his head by putting them on paper." 

The Colonel gave a small smile. "I think he's on something like his fifth journal by now, and I have to admit he is getting really good."

"The last pages are torn out." 

Tycho glanced at the paper TIE squadrons on the floor and wondered. He knew the last two pages were sketches Wes had surreptitiously done of Wedge on their way to Adumar. What did it mean that he'd torn them out tonight? He'd be sure to ask later, when Wes returned. 

Wedge followed his glance and noticed the litter. He bent and picked up a couple of paper ships and examined Wes' neat, precise folds. "These are cute, but my gut is telling me this is a bad thing. It must have taken him hours to fold all of these. When did he have time to do that?" 

"Obviously, when we were sleeping, and he... wasn't."

"Why did they end up on the floor?"

Tycho didn't want to voice his theory, and in the end he didn't need to because Wedge figured it out. "He was throwing them at the wall. What's on the other side of that wall? Oh. He was throwing these TIE fighters at me." Wedge unfolded the TIE and examined the paper. "Huh." 

"Sketch?" The Colonel asked, worried.

"One word, 'Why?'"

Wedge unfolded the other TIE and held the scrap for Tycho to see the word, 'Why?' When Wedge started to bend to pick up another wing pair, Tycho stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Wedge, he's hurting. He didn't do well when you returned to Coruscant and introduced the squadron to your girlfriend."

"I think it may be worse recently," Hobbie told them from the doorway. "Really bad, actually. I was going to talk to you officially, Tycho, but I'm torn between protecting my best friend and reporting behavior which might get a squadmate pulled from active duty."

Tycho hissed as if burned, eyes slitting at the other man. "There is another point to consider, Hobbie, I'm his partner, and I love him. I need to know when he's not doing well."

Wedge scrubbed his hands over his face, "This is on me. First, Distna, now this. I've failed Wes, again."

"You didn't fail me at Distna," Wes told him, coming up behind Hobbie and sliding past him into the room. "I don't blame you for leaving me. You had to protect the pilots you knew were alive. It wasn't a good bet I'd survived. I would've been furious at you if more Rogue lives were lost while you searched for me." Wes looked around and saw the journal open on the bed. "Have you been snooping?" His tone was incredulous and brittle.

"No," Tycho was quick to interject, "The journal was on the bed. I was looking at it earlier when I came in to collect your clothes for the laundry service. I left it out. I'm sorry."

Wes accepted this with a nod. "And Wedge did he see it?" 

Wedge nodded, solemnly. "I did and maybe was I angry for a few minutes, and then jealous."

"Good," Wes told him, curtly.

Wedge flinched. "I'm sorry."

Wes nodded, "Also good. We can talk when the mission is over. Now is not a good time." Wes looked at each of them in turn before making a show of yawning and stretching. "I'm tired." The implication was for them to get the hell out of his room, so he could go to sleep, but Hobbie was the only one who withdrew and even he stopped at the door and turned back to look at Wes, mournful expression even more so in that moment. "Night, Wes. If you need me, buddy..."

Wes gave his best friend a raised eyebrow, and then a nod. "Thank you, Hobbs. I know where to find you if I need you."

Wes went to Tycho and put his arms around his neck, pulling him in and kissing him. The kiss was soft, a bare brush of lips, and then Wes hugged him. In his ear, Wes whispered, "Thank you. I love you." 

Tycho pulled Wes' head down to his shoulder and stroked the back of his hair. "Love you, too, baby."

"I wouldn't have done it," Wes assured him. "I wouldn't do that to you. You lose enough pilots. I talked to Bran about it in my last session, before we left Coruscant. You didn't need to pull me from active duty."

"Thank the Force," Tycho whispered, as he let him go, "Look, I'm here if you need help folding more TIE fighters. I can even show you how to make squints..."

Wes' eyes lit up. "Yes! You can show me at breakfast."

"Only if you promise not to throw them at Wedge."

Wes sighed, frowning slightly. "You sure know how to take the fun out of fun things."

"We can make him fold the X-wings and then hang a whole battle from your ceiling..." Tycho assured him.

The Alderaanian Rogue turned to look at Wedge, "Let's go into the main room and have a drink. We can talk."

"I have a question for you," Wes asked Wedge, as he turned to go. "Were you jealous I was with Iella, or Iella was with me?"

Wedge considered for a long time, before he finally admitted, "Both."

Wes gave him a small tight smile, not his usual infectious grin, but the ghost of smile all the same. "Good. Night, Wedge. See you in the morning." He ushered them out and shut the door firmly behind them. 

Then, he locked it and sank down on the bed, allowing himself to admit to feeling stunned Tycho and Hobbie had implemented his plan without him even needing to tell it to them. 

What had he ever done to deserve loyal, devoted friends like them? He loved them and he'd come very close to losing the three of them forever at Distna. He wouldn't stay angry for long, he never did. Life was too short.


	2. Heartbreakers of Adumar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parenthood is not easy. Wedge and Iella reach a breaking point when baby Syal starts teething. 
> 
> This is an ode to parents everywhere, ya'll. 
> 
> Warnings: discussions of pregnancy, birth and the hell that is a teething baby.

"I really appreciate you coming over on such short notice," Wedge whispered as he ushered the trio of Rogues into his living room. 

The normally tidy apartment he shared with Iella was a shambles. Baby clothes and rags in dubious states of cleanliness littered every surface not covered by empty cups and food containers. Wedge surveyed the mess with a wince. 

To Wes, Wedge's appearance was not much better, the only color to his face was the bruised smudges under his eyes. 

"Sorry about the mess. Iella and I haven't had a decent night's sleep in a week. Syal's running a slight fever and only sleeps for maybe two hours at a stretch, if we are lucky." Running a hand through his hair and making a mess of it, Wedge turned to the Rogues. "Iella is at a medic appointment, and then she needed to go shopping for a few things for Syal. I don't know when she will be home. If I don't leave soon, I'll be late for my meeting with the Chief of State…"

Wes put a hand on Wedge's shoulder. "Wedge, go. We'll handle things until Iella gets home."

"Syal just had a bottle of milk, and there is more in the re…"

At a look from Tycho, Wes and Hobbie each hooked an arm through Wedge's and practically hauled him across the space and out of the apartment's front door. 

"Say hi to the Princess for us," Wes said quietly to his retreating back, careful not to wake the infant napping in the basinette in the far corner of the living room.

Wes wandered over to peer down at her, the precious tiny miracle Wedge and Iella had created. "Hello, Sweetheart. I hear you've been giving your mama and dada a hard time... You can't be doing that. Making them crazy is my designated job." He touched the back of his hand to her forehead very gently.

"I don't think you should touch her," Hobbie stated, looking at Wes with wide, worried eyes. "You'll wake her. I think that would be... bad."

Wes shrugged, backing away. "Wedge is right, Syal has a low grade fever." His eyes scanned to unholy mess of the room and he rubbed his hands together. He turned to Tycho. "Permission to call in a hazardous waste disposal team to deal with this, sir?"

"Denied." Tycho grinned at him. "They'll wake the baby."

Hobbie picked up a cloth from the couch between two fingers. "Ugh. This is gross."

"If you think spit-up is gross, you've never had a baby's diaper explode while the child was sitting on your lap. A little vomit is nothing compared to explosive diarrhea." He watched Hobbie's color drain away with amusement. 

Tycho chuckled. "Cruel." On a more serious note, he added, "Don't we want Klivian to enjoy visits with Syal? Stop terrifying him."

"I know Hobbie. That's not terror," Wes assured him. "That's HORROR. Which is, of course, ten times better." 

"Where do we start?" Hobbie asked, glumly. "It looks like a rubbish bin exploded in this room."

Sighing regretfully, Tycho nodded, "This is much worse than I expected. Hobbie, gather the laundry in here and dump it all in the washing unit. Wes, could you handle the kitchen? I'll start in the their bedroom and we can all work our way back toward the living area."

"A good, solid plan," Wes agreed. 

The cooking area was not as much of a mess. It didn't look like Iella was cooking much, and he knew Wedge didn't bother, so he had it under control and scrubbed spotless in half an hour. 

He took a pair of clean dish towels from a drawer and wet them. Then, he placed each folded cloth in a clear, flexible food storage bag and popped them into the coldest part of the refrigerating unit. Next, he took a smaller clean cloth and soaked it in a small amount of cold breast milk from an open milk storage bag he found in the 'frig. He placed this cloth in another storage bag and tossed it in with all the half eaten food containers. 

Janson had just finished starting a load of dishes washing and sanitizing when a rustling sound came from the other room in the general direction of the bassinet. Not more than few heartbeats later, the six month old infant let out a howl. 

"Perfect timing," Wes smiled to himself, washing his hands. He pulled the breast milk cloth from the 'frig. "Time to go to work."

Tycho was standing over the child looking down on her with concern. "That baby is not happy."

"I have just the thing," Wes told him, confidently. Scooping her up with practiced ease, Wes held Syal so he could see into her squalling mouth. "Hmmm." He placed the tip of his little finger into her open mouth, and immediately she closed on it and clamped down, hard. 

Hobbie reappeared, drawn by the sounds of the infant crying. "Why are you..."

"Hush." Wes scolded him, sternly. He pulled his pinky finger free and replaced it with a corner of the cold milk soaked cloth. "Oh, I know, Sweetheart. I can tell. Here now. You just try that."

The sudden silence shocked their abused eardrums. The baby's cries had turned to grunting, sucking sounds and her little body visibly relaxed against his chest. 

"Can I ask what you just did and how you knew to do it?" Tycho muttered under his breath, slightly awestruck.

Wes looked at him, "Syal's getting her first tooth. Low grade fever. Wakes up to pain she is too young to understand or communicate other than wailing pitifully in distress."

Tycho considered that. "How can you tell she's teething?" 

"Simple. She bit me. Hard." Wes swayed from side to side and hummed low in his chest for a while and the grunts subsided to just breathing and sucking. "She gums the towel and gets cold milk, which numbs the spot where the tooth is coming in." He moved to sit in an armchair, reclaimed from a mountain of dirty baby clothing, with the Syal's fuzzy blonde head against his shoulder. "Carry on, gentlemen." He waved a free hand at the messy room before them. 

Tycho finished bagging take-away containers and disposable cups, while Hobbie started wiping all exposed surfaces with a cloth and some disinfectant spray. 

"You didn't tell us how you knew to do that," the Colonel stated.

"It's not a Jedi power, just years of experience with my younger siblings."

Tycho smirked at him. "I still can't believe your mother had you, and then went on to have six more..."

Raising an eyebrow at him, Wes gave his lover a rude gesture with the hand not currently rubbing circles on the baby's back. "I'll have you know I was a perfect child, and gave my ma not one minute of trouble. It's how I tricked her into having more." He smiled at the memory. "Or at least, it's the story she tells everyone. My sister youngest sister, though, she was pure Sithspawn."

Hobbie gasped at the blunt comment. "Wow."

"I say it with love, now, but she was a screamer from the moment she hit the outside air." Grinning, he nodded. "She had all four front teeth come in at once. Ma kept an empty market basket by the front door and I was sure it was because she was tempted to sell my sister at market some days."

Hobbie eyed him, "Why didn't she sell you?"

"Who else did she have to keep all those little girls from screeching non-stop and ripping each other's hair out? Or maybe taking their baby sister and floating her down the river in a basket while our mother was busy with my baby brother. For twins, Casea and Camren were absolutely opposites in temperament."

Tycho smiled at him. "You don't visit home often. You must miss them all..."

"Not as much as you would think. They send messages." Wes rolled his eyes. "Lots of messages. I mediate disputes remotely, and if they don't like my solution... They'll suck it up or deal with me the next time I'm home on leave."

Wes shifted the baby as his arm started to fall asleep. Syal was asleep as well, and her little body was radiating a tremendous amount of heat. "Tycho, could you trade places with me?"

Pale blue eyes regarded him warily. "You want me to hold her?"

"Yes. I need to use the 'fresher. Please. She's asleep. Be brave."

They made the transfer and Tycho sat stiffly on the couch with the baby's head against the side of his neck. "She's like a tiny reactor core," he whispered. "Is she always this hot?"

"Not quite. It's partially the fever."

When Wes returned, Tycho offered him a small smile. "Who knew you had this as a skillset?"

"I have MANY talents," the Rogue pouted. "You have not begun to uncover all of them."

Hobbie leaned against the chair Wes had vacated earlier. "All finished, but I feel like I should stay and fold the laundry for them." He shook his head, glumly. "Wedge looked wrecked. I can only imagine how Iella is feeling..."

"I should've been checking on them more often," Wes whispered. "But, I..." He trailed off.

Tycho picked up his thought and ran with it. "You didn't want to make them feel like they couldn't handle everything, or be in their way." At Wes' guilty nod, he added, "First, you are their lover, and a part of our family, therefore you're never in the way. Secondly, we both should have been checking in with them, so I am as guilty of neglect as you are."

"Now that we have the mess is cleaned up, I can probably handle folding a few clothes," Wes reassured them. "I'll stay with her until Iella gets back, maybe crash in the guest room and get up with Syal in the middle of the night, so they can get some uninterrupted rest."

"Take a few days of personal time," Tycho told him. "You've earned them."

"Are you sure you don't need us to stay?"

Wes scoffed at Hobbie as he took the sleeping baby from Tycho and placed her in the bassinet. "Please. I can go head to head with one baby. No problem." He made a shooing gesture with his hand. "Go home. Get sleep. I got this; I speak fluent baby."

After Hobbie departed, Tycho came to him, pulling Wes into his arms and kissing him deeply. "You never cease to amaze me, Janson," he admitted when they broke the kiss.

Grinning and lightly tugging a lock of his hair, to remind him of the hair dye incident, Wes rumbled, "You love uncovering my hidden talents..."

"One of my favorite kinds of surprises."

"Along with the salt in your caf mugs..."

Tycho chuckled. "That I can do without."

"You love my pranks," Wes smirked.

"I love you. I tolerate your pranks, because they make you happy, and I am all about keeping my Wes happy."

"And satisfied, too," Wes confirmed. 

"All a part of the service."

"We need to take better care of Wedge and Iella."

Tycho winced, "Yeah."

"I'll start tonight."

"Good. I'm sure Gavin will happily volunteer to take up any slack for you while you are off taking care of our stubborn Corellian lovers."

Wes shook his head, not disagreeing as much as disbelieving, "Oh, to be so young, again. I wish I had his energy."

"If you did, you'd be squarely next in line to command Rogue Squadron when I retire."

A strangled gurgle escaped from Wes and he shook his head violently. "Nonononono. Not me, Boss. I like to take orders, remember."

Tycho laughed, a real all out laugh. "The look on your face, Wes. That was better than a prank."

"SIthspawn. Get out," Wes told him, with a mock glare. "Out of my sight. Right now."

"Yes, sir." Tycho sketched a salute and left Wes to take care of Wedge, Iella and Syal.

Maybe twenty minutes passed after Wes threw the CO of Rogue Squadron out of the apartment, when the door lock beeped and the door slid open to reveal a disheveled Iella Antilles loaded down with shopping bags from at least three different markets Wes recognized as being between NRI HQ and here. 

Iella stood in the entryway, stunned into paralysis at the clean state of the apartment, and Wes lounging on the couch with his bare feet rested, ankles crossed, on the low table. "Wes! You're here. And you... you cleaned the apartment?"

He stood and went to take the bags from her, then followed her into the little cooking area. "I cleaned in here. Tycho and Hobbie hit the rest of the place hard, while I held the baby."

"I think that is more startling than the apartment being clean. The blessed silence. Syal is here, right?" There was a hitch in Iella's voice. "The baby is sleeping?" 

Wes took the container from Iella's hands, set it safely on the counter and gathered her into his arms to hold her as the first sob wracked her. She sobbed for a short time, with Wes rubbing her back and whispering comforting words into her ear.

"It's so good to see you..." She sniffled, her tears dampening the shoulder of his shirt. "It's been a rough couple of weeks. Syal..."

Wes stroked her hair, tenderly. "Syal is getting her first tooth."

"Yes..." Iella sobbed. "She started to pinch down on my nipples when she nurses and it hurts so much..."

Wes used one hand to reach behind him and pull open the door to the chill chest. "I can help with that," Wes assured her. 

"The medic said to..." She gasped as Wes placed the chilled towel he'd prepared earlier to her right breast. "Cold compresses..."

Wes nodded. "And do not let Syal get away with clamping down and pinching your nipples as she nurses."

"Yes." Iella pulled back to look at him. "You know this. How could you possibly know this, Wes?"

It was Wes' turn to lose his composure. His eyes burned and he blinked back sudden ashamed tears. "My ma had a terrible time with all the young ones, well the ones who weren't me, anyway. If not for joining the Rebellion, I could have become a baby doc from all the knowledge I gained helping my parents with my infant siblings."

Iella nodded and switched the cold pack to her other breast. "Wes." Her thumb traced the trail of wetness from a tear down his cheek to his jaw. Wes couldn't meet her eyes until she lifted his chin, so he was forced to look at her.

"I should've been checking in with you more. I should've been helping more."

Iella kissed him to shut him up. Eventually letting him go, she punched him lightly on the arm. "I agree you should've been here this week. She's been miserable."

"I'm sorry."

Iella gave him a weak smile. "I forgive you, but I don't know if Syal will."

"Good thing baby's have short memories, then." He sighed, "Tycho put me on leave for a few days and I'm going to crash in the guest room, so I can get up with her in the night. You look exhausted..."

The narrowing of her eyes at him and tightening of her jaw were the only warning Wes had for the second hard blow to his arm. "Ow, hey..."

Through clenched teeth, Iella ground out, "One. Do not remind me how bad I look right now. I will not hesitate to knee you in the groin. Two. The hell you are sleeping in the guest room. You are not a guest in this house. If you want to be useful at 0400 hours, Janson, you're going to sleep between me and the crib and you can change diapers and pass Syal to me when she wakes up to nurse."

"Yes, ma'am." Wes swallowed hard.

Iella looked at his face and for the first time since she'd come into the apartment her lips twitched like she was considering smiling. 

It was enough for Wes. He tried to step back, but she fisted a hand in his vest. "I wasn't serious about the knee. I'm going to need you undamaged if we're going to have sex before Syal wakes up."

"Wait. What? Sex, now?"

"Right kriffing now."

Wes felt his mouth go dry. "You had a baby..."

Iella raised her fist to punch him in the arm, again, just enough threat to make him shy away. "I had Syal six months ago, Wes. They cleared me to have sex after eight weeks. Wedge stopped treating me like I was made of porcelain seven weeks and four days ago." She pinned him with a withering glare. "By my calculations, you've been neglecting my orgasmic needs for at least six weeks. I'd say you owe me six orgasms."

Wes was dumbfounded. Stupefied. "SIX?! Now?"

"Get naked. Or I will take a knife from this drawer and get you naked myself. It would be a shame to ruin the shirt. I like this shirt on you." When Wes frowned, she added, "I'm betting you don't know a thing about this part of motherhood. Do you, smart guy?"

"The threats of violence and rapid-fire mood swings?"

"No, the ramped up sex drive from the imbalanced hormones and lack of sex."

Wes shrugged. "Makes sense. Two of my sisters are less than a year apart in age. I never thought much about it."

"Don't worry. I have no desire to make more babies, just yet, especially after the week I've had."

When he sagged with relief, she ran a finger down his chest. "I've got my eye on you, Janson. I bet your sperm count is off the charts. And... I know you were using a calendar program on your datapad to avoid me on my most fertile days when I was trying to conceive Syal."

"How could you possibly know that?"

Iella chucked. "I still have the slicing skills I learned in Corsec, and I was suspicious, so I checked your datapad." She backed him against the wall. "Busted, Rogue."

"So busted," Wes admitted. "Sometimes, I forget about your past with Corsec."

"Should I go get my Corsec issue binders and cuff you to the bedpost?"

Wes grinned, "Not necessary tonight. Wes Janson, reporting for duty." He saluted her. "Ma'am."

Iella sighed and shook her head. "You're still dressed. Salute me again when you're naked and in the bedroom. Move."

"Intel doesn't give orders to Starfighter Command?" Wes tried. At her menacing growl, he muttered, "Works for Wedge. Bossy Intel agents are so hot."

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Iella loved to see Wes Janson naked. There were few sights which matched the plains and angles of his lean, muscular body. Feeling Wes Janson's body cover hers and filling her was one of the few things she'd found which could surpass looking at him. 

"Oh, Sithspit," Iella moaned, as he slid inside her for the first time in months. 

Wes froze. "Am I hurting you?"

"No, baby," she sighed. "You feel good. No pain at all, and I promise if I feel even a slight twinge I will tell you to stop, alright?" This made him relax, and she gripped his shoulders, "Show me how much you've missed me."

"So much..." Wes stated. "So kriffing much."

"Show me. Take it slow at first, if you want to, but show me."

Wes covered her face in tender kisses as he eased in and out of her, tentatively at first, but when she didn't stop him, his confidence grew. 

Her own confidence followed. She knew her vagina would probably never again be as tight as it had been before Syal's birth, but her muscles clenched at him, trying to grip him and keep him inside her where he belonged. 

Wes seemed to hear her thoughts and agree, "Oh, Force, Iella. You are really wet. And I can feel you trying to catch me as I pull out." He kissed the side of her neck, the sweet spot he knew as very sensitive where neck and shoulder met. "Beautiful. So beautiful. Love you."

Her arms wrapped his neck and she clung to him. Waves of pleasure washed over and through her with each thrust, and she lifted her hips to meet him. 

The next time she opened her eyes, Wedge was standing in the open doorway to their bedroom with the most amazing smile on his face. She returned the smile with her own, and maybe a small giggle escaped. 

Wes stopped at her giggle and pulled back to look into her eyes. "What's so funny?"

"How ecstatically happy Wedge is to walk in on us having sex."

Wes stiffened and turned to look over his shoulder at the door. 

Naked and buried balls deep in Iella, there wasn't much Wes could do, really. "Don't you dare stop," Iella warned him. "You know how much Wedge likes to watch. We need to give him a proper show." She shifted her weight to her left hip. "Roll us over, so I can ride you."

Janson did as he was commanded and not long after he hissed, "I can feel your wetness running down my balls, Iella."

"Let me see," Wedge said. Soon, he had joined them on the bed and he was spreading Wes' thighs, so he could examine where Wes and Iella were joined. "Mmmm yes. Her pussy is leaking tasty juices all over your ball sack. Don't worry, I'll clean up this mess for you..."

Wes tensed under her, and she watched as Wedge's tongue darted out and stroked the sensitive flesh of Wes' scrotum. His breath left him in a hiss. "Sithspit."

Iella rose to the challenge Wedge presented her. "If you lick it all up, I'll just have to make more." 

His eyes were dark, dilated with desire for not only her, but Wes as well. "I accept that challenge."

She rode Wes hard and fast. The position allowing her to control how deep his thrusts entered her, and the angle as well. 

Wes' eyes were unfocused, now, rolling with the dueling pleasures. "Oh, Shavit... Wedge's tongue is magic."

She smiled wickedly at him, "Yes, yes it is."

They played the game for a long time, until Wedge started cheating and using his tongue in long strokes from sac to the very point her body took Wes into her. When he licked there, Wedge made her whimper and moan and writhe. 

"You're all cleaned up," Wedge told Wes, but he didn't stop licking and kissing and nuzzling the soft flesh as it bounced with each thrust into Iella. "Make a new mess for me, soon, or I'm going to make a mess in you..."

"I can't come until Iella does...""Oh, I'm coming, Wes. Few more thrusts... I love when Wedge describes what he's going to do to you."

Wedge didn't need further prompting. "I'm going to fuck him until he wakes the baby with his cries."

"What position?"

"Face down on the bed like he was when I came in. HIs gorgeous, tight ass in the air."

That did it for her, pushed the the final millimeter into oblivion, a vivid picture in her head of how they would look, Wes on his belly with Wedge thrusting eagerly into the valley between the perfect round globes of his bottom. She let out a moan and her internal muscles pulsed for nearly a minute before the intense orgasmic pleasure faded. 

Wes lifted her up and pulled out of her quickly, semen splattering all over his chest and belly. 

Iella climbed off of him to race Wedge to see which of them could get more of the ejaculate with their tongues.

Wes allowed them to have their fun, until he was clean, then he rolled Iella onto her back and buried his face between her legs, tongue lapping the slick folds. He only lost focus for a few seconds as the blunt head of Wedge's cock pressed his anus, seeking entrance and being granted a deep slide into the intensely sensitive passage. 

Janson moaned against her pussy as Wedge claimed him. 

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Wedge came out of the bedroom after his shower to find Wes sprawled on the couch with Syal snuggled into his shoulder. He expected the baby to be asleep, since she wasn't screaming, but found she was awake, eyes wide open, and sucking vigorously on what looked like a wet cloth.

At Wedge's approach, Wes looked up from the datapad he held in his free hand. "Good morning, Wedge."

"Wes." He waved a hand over him and the baby. "What's with the towel?"

"Syal is teething. Gumming a cold towel helps with the pain."

Wedge considered this. "You know about babies. Don't you?" The idea never occurred to him, though it really should have.

"Oh, yeah. A lot. I could probably write a book."

Annoyed, Wedge frowned down at him. "And you've not been around the last few weeks because?"

"I didn't want to get in the way," Wes confessed. "I didn't want to make either of you feel like you couldn't handle Syal."

"We can't handle Syal. You saw the apartment yesterday."

Wes' brows drew together, "Not true. You've been doing great with Syal. She's strong and healthy and obviously well cared for." He sighed, "I shouldn't have stayed away so long, Wedge. I'm sorry." He waved a hand toward the kitchen. "I made a spice cake and fried eggs for breakfast. And the caf should be finished brewing."

"You late getting to the base?"

"Tycho put me on leave, until next week, so you and Iella can get some much deserved rest. He feels bad for neglecting you, too."

Wedge practically collapsed from relief. If fact, if the chair hadn't been behind him, he might have crumpled into a boneless heap on the floor. As it was, he sank down onto the chair with an audible sigh. "Thank the Force. We need you, Wes. And not just for your previously disclosed, but obviously forgotten, child calming skills. You can make that stuff up to us. We love you, and we've missed you."

"I've missed you, too. Believe me. I have more than that to make up. Iella says I owed her six orgasms, well, we're down to four, now. Do I owe you some orgasms, too? Maybe a blowjob?"

Wedge rolled his eyes. "I'm never going to turn down a blowjob, but I don't see a debt there. I got to pound you into the mattress last night and it was pretty satisfying."

"I'm never going to turn down being pounded into your mattress."

"Good," Iella said, coming into the room, her hair still damp from her shower. "I'd be happy take care of pounding you, after I get back from my meeting with Loran and the Wraiths."

"I'll be here," Wes assured her.

"You better be."

"How are you feeling?"

Iella gave Wes and Wedge an actual smile. "Almost human, again. Being denied caf is hell, and breastfeeding tea is completely unsatisfying."

"I made spice cake for breakfast."

"I love you," Iella told him, earnestly.

"I second that."

Wes grinned at them, "I know."


	3. Wraith Daddy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wes is perfectly content to let Wedge be the baby daddy in Iella's life. He has his reasons, but he's never told the biggest one to his lovers. He didn't want to worry them unnecessarily. His lovers aren't going to leave him out of the action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Smutty cowgirl sex, a baby being born (think Call the Midwife- Rogue Squadron style), baby in distress

"Why me?" Wes asked, eyeing his four lovers suspiciously. 

Iella gave him a patient smile. "Because we love you."

Wes knew this, of course. "I get that. Now, explain to me why Wedge shouldn't be the biological for the next baby, too?" He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging the locks in growing frustration. "Syal is PERFECT. Why would we want to mess with perfection?"

"Syal is a beautiful, healthy child," Wedge admitted, with no small amount of smugness and paternal pride. "But every child is different, even if the parents are the same." 

Wes considered this, and shrugged, "So, maybe the next one will be just as great. The odds are still good..."

Tycho sighed. "I wouldn't bring odds into this, Wes, you ARE dealing with a pair of Corellians here."

"So you're on my side on this?" Wes asked, hopeful to have an ally in this family meeting gone horribly wrong. 

The Alderaanian man shook his head. "No. I'm with the majority on this. In fact, I recall a conversation with Winter shortly before we wed which ended with us deciding if she wanted a baby, then we would ask YOU to be the father."

Wes' jaw fell open and his eyes bulged. "No, you did not just say that."

There as a huff of laughter from Iella from her place on the couch beside Wedge with toddler Syal asleep on her lap. "I knew it."

"We don't want children at this point, so you're off the hook with us, at least," Tycho assured him "We're content with you having a baby with Iella to get our baby fix."

Janson paced in a circle around the living area. "I'm a bad choice, the worst choice," he told them.

"Why do you say that?" Winter asked, quietly.

Wes thumbed his chest. "I'm a killer. All my marketable skills run to making people dead and blowing things up."

"Evil people who need to be stopped," Winter countered. "Or how many more lives would be lost? You kill a select few because you must. You don't revel in it. Their deaths haunt you and fill you with guilt."

Iella smirked, "You forget you're making your argument to two other men who are in exactly the same position, Wes." She shifted Syal to Wedge's lap and stood up, stretching. 

Wedge nodded, emphatically. "If you lusted for blood, we wouldn't be here having this conversation. We do what we do because there is no other choice, and nobody else good enough to take out the Palpatines and Thrawns of the galaxy. And, you have balanced the scales by training our people to fly better than the enemy, so they live long enough to retire and settle down to have families of their own. If we all felt like you do, there would be no next generation to pass on our beliefs to and to lead the fight for what is right, because it is worth fighting and dying, and killing, for."

It was Iella's turn. "If you want specifics, you're intelligent, funny, and gorgeous. Not to mention compassionate, generous and amazing with not only Syal, but all the children. Mirax told me at the Rogue picnic last week her ovaries released an extra egg or two when you sat down with Valin and Syal during their epic meltdown, called over Rhysati's little ones and taught them to share the toys peacefully." She chuckled and gave him a wink. "I happen to know I'm not the only one wanting another baby."

"Is there anyone who doesn't want my semen?!" Wes groused.

Tycho smirked at him and shrugged, palms up. "I can't think of anyone. Well, there's Hobbie, I guess."

Wedge got them back on track, as usual. "We aren't asking you to decide today, Wes, or even this week. If we want another baby, we're going to need to move to a new apartment, somewhere with more space. We would like it very much if you would come with us to check out potential locations, because we value your input and you'll be spending lots of time there, so we want you to feel at home."

Wes nodded, "Okay." He couldn't see any harm in helping them hunt for a new apartment, it would probably be fun. 

"Great," Iella said. "You can carry Syal in the backpack, and between the two of you, you'll melt all the agents' hearts and they'll give us a better price."

Wes flinched, grumbling, "Now, you sound like Mirax."

"Who do you think suggested it?" Iella came to him and hugged him, and Wes hugged her back, inhaling the comforting scent of her hair and familiar perfume. "This isn't us trying to gang up on you, baby, I promise." She kissed his cheek. "It was time for a family meeting, so we wanted to bring it up and give you a chance to think about it." Iella grinned at him. "I'll let you know when I'm ready for the fun part."

The string of unintelligible jabbering from the direction of the couch let Wes know Syal's nap was over, and therefore, so was the family meeting. Before he knew it, Wes had a tiny blonde toddler firmly attached to his lower leg. He knelt until they were on the same level and she let out a string of syllables all of which ended with what sounded like a question. When he didn't answer quickly enough, Syal raised little arms to him in the universal toddler signal of wanting to be picked up. With a resigned sigh, he did as the tiny Corellian female commanded him. 

As he held her above his head and made Syal squeal and giggle with delight at 'flying', Wes admitted to himself he'd just been ambushed and neatly vaped. He could talk it around and around with his therapist, and with Hobbie, all he wanted. In the end, the undisputed queen of stubborn and bossy Corellian females would tie him to her bed and have her way with him until she had his baby. 

Wes would surrender with little resistance because deep down he knew they were probably right and a child with Iella would be just as precious to their family as Syal was. 

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Awakened by movement, Wes yawned and stretched, then whispered, "Iella? What time is it, anyway? Are you in the wrong bed?"

Iella looked up from where she'd settled between his thighs and offered him a grin. "Morning. And it's about to be a very good morning for you. And for me."

Wes sighed as she started to stroke his limp cock. "Are you gonna to ravish me in my caff deprived state? That's not fair."

Pressing a kiss to his hipbone, Iella breathed on his cock as she said, "It's fun time, flyboy. Time to make me happy like you promised back in Cartann."

"Ugh. Stupid, backwater rock," Wes grumbled under his breath. "Can I really be held responsible for the things I say when stuck on a planet full of homicidal, insane, glory hounds?"

"Absolutely."

Wes winced. "Last warning... Any kid of mine is likely to play practical jokes and enjoy blowing stuff..."

"He or she will fit in well with all the other Wraith babies."

Blowing out a breath, Wes tucked his hands behind his head and spread his legs wider. "Have your wicked way with me, my lady. I am done protesting my fate. My body is yours." His cock hadn't needed any coaxing beyond waking to naked Iella in his bed. He was nearly as hard a durasteel from a few strokes of Iella's lovely hands.

"I knew you'd see it my way, eventually," Iella told him with a smug grin. "You just stay where you are. I want to ride you. I've been looking forward to this..."He hissed through gritted teeth as her sex came to rest over his swollen member, and he could feel how wet her pussy lips were. The delicate folds were drenched in creamy juices. Iella lifted up and shifted just enough for the tip of him to line up with her opening and then sank down on him a centimeter at a time until she had most of him inside her. "Oh, Force. So hot inside... How is it possible for you to be this wet?"

"It's for you, Wes. Just thinking about waking you up this morning and riding you. This is what you do to me."

Bracing his feet on the mattress, Wes slowly lifted his hips up to meet her. "This?"

"Yessss. Oh, just like that, baby." Iella rode him slowly at first. Then, she moved increasingly harder and faster until they were both panting and moaning, with her meeting his upward thrusts and sliding along his shaft. "Oh, you are so prefect for riding. Your cock hits all the best spots this way."

Iella was amazing at riding him, circling her hips when he was at his deepest inside her and milking him by clenching her vaginal muscles around his shaft as he pulled out each time. "Oh, Sithspit, you feel so good..."

"If you come soon, we'll have time for a small rest and a second round before Syal wakes up. You can be on top next time..."

Wes hummed with pleasure, "Mmmm yes, please. If you want me to fill you up with my come, I'm gonna make sure you are full." It was relief not to have to worry about pulling out when he was close, and he was close, "Can you feel how thick I am? I'm ready to explode."

Iella circled her hips again, more slowly. "Are you asking for permission to come, flyboy?"

"Don't I always?" It was a kinky game he'd played with Winter and Iella since their first time together. They told him what to do during sex, and when to come, and his body responded eagerly to their orders. His orgasms were most powerful when they made him hold back past the time when he would normally ejaculate on his own. 

"Yes, you do, and I want you to come in me... now."

Janson gripped her hips and held Iella in place as his seed released up into her, thick and sticky and warm. "Oh, oh... Yesssss." 

Iella sighed and collapsed on top of him, pert breasts pressed to his sweaty chest, and she yelped in surprise as Wes rolled her over and scooped her up into his arms, turning her around, so her feet were now where her head had just been. 

"What are you doing?" Iella gasped, still catching her breath. 

Wes soon had his lover flat on her back with her feet raised until her heels rested on the top of the headboard of his bed. "If you're serious about getting pregnant, you have to keep the semen inside you." Wes lifted her bottom and placed a pillow under her hips, tipping her pelvis up. "Now the swimmers are swimming in the right direction... toward the egg," he assured her. 

"I don't think your swimmers are going to have a problem..." She teased him."You never know... We might have to have sex day and night for months to make a baby."

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Iella groaned beside him, muttering to herself, "Oh, no. Please, not NOW."

Wes rolled over and looked at Iella, mumbling, "Whas wrong?"

"I think... Sithspawn. I think my water just broke."

That got Wedge's attention. He rolled onto his side to look at them. "Did you say your water broke? You aren't due for two weeks..." 

His groggy disbelief would have amused Wes if it weren't 0300 hours and he'd only gone to sleep just after 0130. Wes sat up and ran a hand through his hair. "Doesn't work that way. Due dates are more like suggestions."

Iella moaned, clutching at her abdomen. "If I move, there is going to be a mess..." She warned them, sourly. 

"Towels," Wes agreed. 

Wedge nodded, and because he was at the edge of the bed, and Wes was trapped between them, he stood and went to fetch them. 

"How far apart are the contractions?" 

Iella pursed her lips and blew out a breath. When the contraction passed, her eyes were wide with fear. "Not far enough. Oh, Shavit."

Wedge returned with a pair of clean towels and Wes shook his head, "We're gonna need way more than two."

"We need to get Iella to the med center," Wedge said, stating the obvious. 

Wes wasn't ready to spoil Wedge's illusion quite yet, so he just nodded. "Lay those down here and help me move Iella, so I can check her cervix."

"You're going to check my cervix?" Iella asked, incredulously.

Wes shrugged. "Any idiot is going to be able to tell if there is a baby's head in your vagina, love. And I know for a fact I'm less squeamish than Wedge." His smirk brought a groan from Iella. 

"Fine. Check." Iella knew the baby was coming too quickly, Wes was almost sure of it. In his approximation, they wouldn't make it as far as the speeder parking, let alone the med center, a twenty minute flight from their apartment. 

"Wedge, call Winter. She has emergency medical training, and then call Mirax to come get Syal. I'll call Iella's clinic and let her know the contractions are only about..." Speaking of contractions brought another one on like magic. "Four minutes apart."

"Right. I'm on it." Wedge assured them but as Wes started toward the 'fresher, Wedge stopped him and whispered, "Four minutes seems really close together."

Wes took a deep breath and blew it out. "We'll never make it to any med center before the baby comes, Wedge. It would be best if we stay put and do this here." 

"You want her to give birth in our apartment?!" Wedge's voice was laced with shock and the beginnings of anger. 

Wes winced, but he made his tone firm and reasonable, which usually worked well with Wedge. "Yes. Go call Winter and Mirax, and then I'll explain why we stay here..."

Iella eyed him warily as he returned from washing his hands, and calling her physician's office, with every clean towel they had and a small medkit he'd been keeping under the sink in case of an emergency. 

As he donned the disposable gloves from the kit, he started a soothing narrative for Iella's sake. "I'm just going to look. I can gauge what ten centimeters looks like, I think. I just have learn to see with my fingers. You said you've had a backache since yesterday morning, and you went to bed right after dinner not feeling well. You've probably been in labor all kriffing night, and we didn't know it."

"I hope not, but I think you might be right," Iella agreed. 

He gave her a small, tight smile. "I told you so."

"What exactly did you tell me?"

"Having a baby with me was going to be an adventure..."

Iella nodded, "Oh, that. Yeah, I suppose you did say that."

"Although, this part is your fault."

"My fault? How is this my..." Iella cut off for a contraction, and when it passed she hissed, "How do you plot this is my fault?"

Wes patted her thigh as he pushed her knees wider apart and gingerly eased his lubricant coated fingers inside her. "You ARE kicking her out two weeks early..."

"What makes you think our baby is a her? The baby could just as easily be a boy."Wes frowned and did some math in his head. Oh, for the love of the Force, he thought. "Our baby is a girl and I'm pretty sure our daughter's head is at the outer edge of your cervix. I can feel the top of her head and... I think I can feel hair." 

With a flurry of energy, Wedge came back into the bedroom. "Now, tell me why we can get her up and to the med center."

"We have everything we need right here," Wes assured him. "The apartment is safe, private and most importantly clean. If we get Iella up and start her walking around, gravity is going to take over and this baby will be born in the lift car ten steps from the front door or worse... in the backseat of the air speeder. We do NOT want that. That would be bad for her and the baby. Best to hunker down and hope the medics or an MD droid are in the area with a portable incubation unit."

"You sound so calm. How can you be this calm, Wes?" He eyed Wes, speculatively. "Have you delivered a baby before?"

Janson winced and shook his head, he didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. This could all go horribly wrong in a dozen different ways going forward. "I've never delivered a baby, Wedge, but I'm not going need to do much, I don't think. Iella's womb has already made up it's mind today is eviction day." Wes tried to smile and he hoped it was at least a little reassuring. "How are your reflexes at 0300? Are you up for catching a bloody slime covered, wriggling, screaming newborn on this fine morning?"

At the look of wide-eyed panic, and the complete draining of color from his face, Wes decided it would be best if Wedge stayed away from the action end of the bed for the coming engagement. "Never mind. Iella is almost ready to push, so we need to get her into position."

They arranged towels in a double layer on the floor beside the bed, after Wes worried aloud they'd need a new mattress after today. Wedge sat down at the edge of the towels with his legs spread wide. Wes helped Iella to sit up and as she predicted there was a gush of amnionic fluid as she stood on shaky legs. Wes held her arms and eased her into a kneeling position between Wedge's legs, her back to him, and he wrapped his arms around her to support her. 

As she settled in, a new contraction hit her. "OH. OOHHH." Iella's voice rose in fear and pain. "Hard contraction. Really hard contraction. It's the gravity. Cursed gravity."

Wes laid a hand on her shoulder and leaned close to her until their noses were touching. In a voice that was barely a whisper, he asked, "Do you feel like you need to push?"

The Corellian woman hissed, "YES!"

"Being in labor is like no decor. You get to say anything you want. Yell, scream, curse at me. You can hit me; I know you like to hit me. You are such a violent little thing. Anything you need to do to get this baby out. All will be forgiven and forgotten."

This made Iella smile, and chuckle just a little, "Sithspit, I love you."

A minute or two later, Wes asked, "Have we got a contraction coming, sweetheart?"

"Oh, yes, we sure do." She let out a strangled cry and clutched at his bare arms to steady herself as her belly clenched with the contraction and her fingers dug into his arms with her pain. 

Wes nodded, "I don't think we want to wait for the medic, I have a very strong gut feeling we need you to push with the next contraction and just get her out."

"Her?" Wedge asked, frowning.

"I read the scans, okay?" Wes confessed in a guilty huff. "I had Face order Elassar to slice into your medical records, so we could look at the fetal scans. I wanted to see if I could tell the gender."

"Whoa, wait. You peeked?" Wedge gaped at him in disbelief.  
Wes narrowed his eyes at Wedge, "You're just jealous you didn't think of it first."

"Wes! Pushing now..."

Wes lowered himself to the towels and Iella let out a scream and a string of curses he'd taught her in Huttese during her labor with Syal. He pushed her knees further apart, so he could get his hands into position. "Breathe. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Like they taught in the class we took with Mirax before you had Syal. One. Two. Three. Four."

"Curse Mirax," Iella growled. "She said it wasn't the worst pain a woman can possibly feel the second time around. She kriffin' lies. I hate her."

After two more contractions with Iella in terrible pain, Wes was feeling his anxiety level rising with each of Iella's cries. "Wedge, can you kneel up more and try to take some of her weight, I think it's go time." 

The newest round of pushing brought a gush of fluid and damned if his instincts weren't right on the money, as the baby's slick little head and shoulders landed right in his open palms. The jumble of long, skinny arms and legs and umbilical cord followed easily enough on the next contraction once the largest parts were free. 

Iella sank back against Wedge and sobbed in relief. She brought her knees up and shifted position to get more comfortable while Wes used the smallest of the towels to dry the baby and wipe the vernix gunk from their daughter's tiny face. 

It was as he was wiping her down Wes noticed the purplish tinge to her skin. She was limp as well, and he noted with shock she hadn't made even a small sound, yet. It was like she was asleep, but nobody could sleep through someone like being born. He reached for the bulb syringe and gently suctioned the nostrils and mouth with calm, steady hands. Then, Wes put the tips of the listening device into his ears and the flat disc end to the tiny chest. He heard a heartbeat, but it was too slow, and he didn't hear any breathy type sounds.

Rubbing her little chest, Wes acted without thought as he leaned forward to place his mouth over her nose and mouth and he blew a small breath into her. He pulled back and listened, but heard nothing come back out. He repeated the breath and listened, again. 

"Come on, love. You can do it. The hardest part is over," Wes told her. "Breathe, okay. Just one little breath." He picked her up and gingerly flipped her onto her belly to pat and rub circles on her back. "You can do it. It's your Lifeday." 

Wes turned her back onto her back, tears forming in his eyes. He looked plaintively to Wedge and Iella for help. "She's gotta breathe..." He choked on a sob and ran the back of his soiled glove over his eyes. 

In a last ditch effort, he leaned down to cover his daughter's mouth and nose again with his and he gave a much larger breath this time, desperate and not knowing what else to do. 

The tiny mouth made a gurgle, followed by a gagging sound. Wes quickly scrambled for the bulb and suctioned her mouth, again. The baby mewled indignantly at this, and it was the most beautiful sound Wes had ever heard. He rubbed her little chest and raised the scrawny baby arms above her head and the quavery crying became a bit stronger and slightly louder. 

Panting, Wes ran gunk coated hand over his face. "Shavit. I think I just lost a decade off my life." 

Reaching for a pair of clamps from the birthing medical kit he'd been given, Janson pushed aside a gloriously flailing arm to place the clamp on the umbilical cord about five centimeters from the baby, as his dad had showed him over a decade before. Then, Wes clamped the second a hand span from the first. 

When he took the safety shears out, he held them up for Wedge and Iella to see, and noticed they were both staring back at him utterly dumbstruck, tears flowing freely down their faces. 

"Want to cut the cord?" Wes asked Wedge. "I've done this part before."

"You said you've never delivered a baby before..." Wedge reminded him, shaking his head. "Did you lie to me?"

"No. I DID NOT lie. I've never delivered a baby, Wedge, but I did see a baby being born. Big difference. I've never told anyone except Bran about this in one of my sessions, and not until after you asked me to be this baby's father, but I watched my Da deliver my youngest brother when I was fourteen. My brother was born in the middle of our living room floor. Ma didn't even make it to the front door before the urge to push came on so strong she collapsed and was unable to take another step. 

"Da delivered animal babies all the time on our farm. I doubt he ever expected to deliver his own child... I don't think he even broke a sweat, though, my father was an absolute rock." He looked down at the baby and swallowed a lump in his throat. "This is a big part of why I've never wanted to have a baby. Bran said it was a formative event in my teen years, but if he insisted if I was afraid, I should confront my fear and prepare for it, rather than running away from it. Thank the Force he gave me this medical kit last month."

Iella breath hitched in a sob. 

Wes winced and hurried to cut the cord, so he could wrap the baby for Iella to hold. He cursed when the stupid, dull scissors met with a great deal of resistance. "I forgot how hard this is to cut. Ugh." Finally, he managed to sever the cord, and once the baby was wrapped, he offered the tiny, squawking bundle to Iella. 

"The medic will need to give her oxygen, I'm sure. I don't understand why she wasn't breathing. My brother cried almost immediately after Da suctioned his nose and mouth." 

When Iella didn't take her, he looked up at her. "Iella? Are you okay?" He glanced down between her legs in panic, "What's wrong? Are you bleeding too much?" Oh, Sithspit. Please, let her not be bleeding too much. There was nothing he could do about something like that. He wasn't a medic, he was a kriffing fighter pilot.

Wedge was quick to reassure him, "No, Wes, I've been watching. Aside from a little blood with the amnionic fluid, and a bunch of newborn gunk, Iella's not bleeding very much." He blew out a shaky breath. "I think we're both still in shock from watching you deliver our baby and perform a resuscitation on her in the first two minutes of her life." Wedge hugged Iella from behind and pressed a kiss to her sweat and tear streaked cheek. "Iella? Do you want to hold our daughter, now?"

"Is it safe to hold her?" Iella turned her head to look into Wedge's worried eyes with worried eyes of her own. "She was so blue and still..."

"As long as she keeps crying, we know she's breathing," Wes reasoned aloud. "Sithspit, I never ever want to have to do that, again." He gently poked a finger at the chest of the crying bundle. "Please, don't make me have to do that ever again."

There was a sound from the doorway as Syal toddled into the room, eyes wide to see them all on the floor. "Momma? Da? PaWa?"

Wes scrambled to grab a clean towel to hurriedly drape over Iella's lap to cover her nakedness and most of the mess. He snapped off the gloves and tossed them aside, so the observant toddler wouldn't notice the blood. He held the bundle out for her to see as Syal approached them around the end of the bed. "Syal, come and meet your sister, sweetheart..." 

The little girl looked at the tiny, scrunched face in the cloth wrappings and clapped her hands excitedly, eyes wide. "Dah."

Wes laughed, and said, "Not a doll, exactly, a baby. Momma made a baby sister for you. Today is her Lifeday."

Syal nodded gravely, "My bay... buh not dah." She leaned forward and squinted at the crying face, then put a finger to her lips and told her sister, "Shhhh. Nah cry. Shhhh, bay, shhhh..." Syal looked to Iella, "Rock bay, momma. Why bay mad? Rock bay, now, momma."

"The queen has spoken," Wedge told Iella. "Now, you have to hold her and rock her until she stops crying. Or face Syal's wrath."

"What in the world is going on in here?" Winter called from the doorway. She didn't wait for any sort of permission to enter, and quickly surveyed the stated of them. "Oh, Force. Oh, Iella. Are you okay?" 

Winter was followed by Mirax, and Iella smiled sweetly at her for Syal's sake, but through her gritted teeth hissed, "You lied to me, Mirax. You said the pain wouldn't be so bad with a second birth."

"If you're in a med center and there are drugs; The pain isn't so bad the second time around I've been told. I said nothing about having a baby on the bedroom floor in the middle of the night." She shuddered. "Have you even passed the placenta, yet?"

Wedge's eyes grew wide and he shook his head. "I love you so much, Iella, so don't take this the wrong way when I tell you I really don't want to see anything more. Please, for the love of the Force, let me up."

"You didn't even get any baby goop on you," Wes chided him. "I have it in my hair. And I can feel it drying on my face."  
Corran came in with Iella's doctor, the pair pushing a portable incubation unit. "Did someone have a baby here tonight? Seriously, Iella, you couldn't hold it?" He teased her. 

"Come closer and say that, Horn. Wes says its no decor while I'm in labor and I'm thinking anything goes up until the placenta is out. Your crotch is at the perfect level for a good punch."

Her former partner winced, "I'll just stay out of range over here."

"Smart choice, husband," Mirax assured him. "In fact, why don't you take Syal over to our apartment and see if you can get her back to sleep..."

"Great idea," Wedge said. "We should all give the medic some space to work." 

Wes handed the baby to Winter.

To the doctor, he said, "The baby... there was something wrong. She wasn't breathing. I suctioned her nose and mouth, but she didn't cry and the heartbeat was too slow. I had to breathe into her nose and mouth, and when that didn't work either... I tried flipping her onto her belly and patting her back. Then, I was really worried. I breathed into her nose and mouth, again, but more this time, and she finally started to cry. I cut the cord and wrapped her up." The story came out in a rush.

The woman raised her eyebrow at him. "What color was she?"

"Kinda purplish...""It's likely you saved the baby's life," the doc told him, and she turned to Winter, "We must begin oxygen and warming, immediately. Do you know how to do that?"

Winter nodded, grimly. "Yes." She placed the newborn in the pod and unwrapped her to attach the sensors to the tiny chest and feet. Then, she activated the warming controls and studied the gauges with the doctor.

"Good work. Keep an eye on the oxygen level. We need to raise it gradually. Now, Iella needs my help delivering the placenta. You've done all you need to, Janson. I've got them from here. Congratulations on your daughter." 

Corran helped Wes to stand, but stepped back quickly and refused to get close enough to Iella to help Wedge, Wes had to help him out from under Iella while the medic ran a portable scanning unit over her belly.  
Once Wedge was freed, Wes made a beeline for the patio doors leading out to the balcony and stepped out into the fresh air of early morning Coruscant. He wrapped his arms around his middle and retched violently for several minutes into an empty planter they were waiting until better weather to plant flowers in and sank weak kneed onto a nearby chair. 

Covering his face with his hands, Wes wept in great heaving sobs as the gravity of what had happened, and what could have happened, hit him full force. It wasn't until much later Wes became aware Wedge, Tycho and Mirax were with him. Wedge and Tycho each had an arm around his shoulders, and Mirax sat in a chair nearby, dark eyes red rimmed and lashes wet with tears. 

"Damn it, Wedge, I couldn't LET her die. We didn't wait all these months and make all these plans to lose her."

"The doctor is right," Mirax told him. "Corran pulled the feed from your security system before he left and we watched the playback. The baby was in obvious distress. Probably, the cord was kinked for at least a little while before she was born." She offered him a weak smile. "You delivered her and got her breathing in the span of maybe three minutes. You're a hero, Wes." A tear slipped down from under her dark lashes. "And you're a father. Congratulations."

"I needed air and I needed to throw up," Wes groaned. "It's all too much."

Wedge winced. "I was no help, at all. I'm sorry. Once I saw how still she was... I completely froze up. You acted so quickly, like it was no big deal to catch the baby and wipe her down and then give her mouth to mouth when you realized she wasn't breathing on her own, yet."

Tycho nodded, patting Wes on the shoulder. "They could use your video to train new medics. Everything you did was  
spot on according to the doctor. She was very impressed with you. I didn't know you could do mouth to mouth on an infant. Where did you learn to put your mouth over her mouth and nose?"

"Bran gave me a list of emergency baby holo-vids to watch when he gave me the birthing kit. I watched that vid three times this last month, when I'd have a nightmare about my brother and wake up terrified in the middle of the night." 

"I think we all need to watch that one."Mirax nodded, "I know I want to watch it." She looked Wes over with a critical eye, "You have blood dried on your face and vernix in your hair. We need to get some food into you, get you into a shower, and then a bed."

"We still have a bed," Wes muttered, feeling relieved, and then he winced, "But the floor...""The bedroom is clean, and momma and baby are resting comfortably," Tycho assured him. "It's time to let us take care of you, now, Wes.""Syal?"Mirax smiled at him. "Not to worry, Corran and I will keep Syal for the day or even two. Valin will love the company now that you showed them how much fun it is to share toys and not steal them. I owe you a case of Whyren's Reserve for that, by the way."

"I could use some."

"After breakfast and a shower, and a quick peek in at the baby, I will pour you a glass myself," Tycho agreed and gave Wes a small grin, "You must see her, now that she is cleaned up. Kid's got a bunch of dark hair on her pointy little head."

"Her head is supposed to be pointy," Wes defended his daughter with a glare. 

"It's real pointy," Wedge agreed, teasing. "And adorable, but we expected the adorable part because she came from you."

"Just wait until she's recruited by NRI and starts blowing stuff up for a living."

Wedge hugged him. "Slow down. Let's get through teething and toy stealing first."

"No kidding."

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"The only thing you really need to know right now, love, is to make lots of noise and we will come running to rescue you. Cry if you're hungry, and momma will bring her gorgeous breasts right to you and stuff those perfect nipples into your mouth. I'm a little jealous of that, to be honest." He sighed, wistfully. 

"I think she'd just punch me if I screamed and demanded her breasts in my mouth half a dozen times per day, but you can easily get away with it, even in the middle of the night. At least for a year or so, until you can drink blue milk with the rest of us, and then I'm going to need those breasts back. Consider them a loan, and treat them with respect, no biting. Iella's breast are beautiful, and magical because they make yummy milk. You will soon worship them, as I do."

"Wes? What are you telling the baby?" Iella eyed him from the bed, and a small smile played at the corners of her mouth, letting him know she heard every word, as he intended. 

Wes raised his head to meet her eyes, careful not to disturb the tiny bundle on his bare chest, who was currently staring blindly at nothing as he lectured her. "Doesn't matter what I say. What matters is the vibration and the tone. I could be reciting at tech manual for Ion Engine repair, and she'd still be soothed by it."

Iella raised an eyebrow at him, and then grinned, "So you're lulling her to sleep by waxing poetically about my breasts..."

"I love your breasts. They are worthy of poems."

She chuckled. "Uh huh. I know. I've noticed your small pregnancy fetish, too."

"The female body is wondrous and amazing," Wes stated. He nodded his head at the baby, their baby. "Just look what you did."

"I had some help..."  
Wes sighed and clicked his tongue. "A small amount of help. A few more months of you showing up unexpectedly at all hours to ravish me wouldn't have been so bad. You're too fertile."

"Maybe you are the one who is too fertile, flyboy..." She tossed back, playfully. "So, just how long have you known the baby was a girl?"Wes winced, because he knew this was going to come up as soon as Iella had some rest. She was Intel, after all, and he had illegally sliced her private medical records. "I suspected she was a she for about the last month."

"Ah. And what name have you been calling her in your head for the last month?"

Recognizing the mine field for what it was, Wes deflected, "We made a list of boy names and girl names at the family meeting... remember?"Iella got up from the bed and came over to Wes. She took the now peacefully sleeping infant from him, put her back in the incubator and closed the little door. When she returned to stand over him, the woman hit him in the shoulder. Hard.

"Ow. What was that for? Peeking at the scans? I'm sorry."

His Corellian lover tossed her head. "I was there when we made the list, Janson. That wasn't the question I asked." She gave him a look he had learned meant he better fess up fast or else.

"What makes you think I used a certain name in my head, Iella?"

Iella narrowed her eyes and whispered, "I knew you peeked because Face told me what he did, and I made him show me the scans, too."

"You peeked, too? So you've known as long as I have?" Wes was startled. With Syal, they'd all decided the gender wasn't important as long as the baby was healthy, so they didn't ask the doctor to tell them. "What have you been calling her in YOUR head?"

Iella smacked him on the shoulder, again. "I asked you first, and you will tell me..."

"Yes, I will tell you. As soon as you drink your protein replacement drink and some water and we get you settled back into bed."

She rolled her eyes at him and huffed, "Bossy much?"

"I'm just trying to help. You had a baby this morning, you know."

"Oh, I know." She sighed, "I am hungry, and thirsty. None of that protein replacement stuff, though. Yuck."

Wes smiled as he stood and stretched, jaw cracking with a yawn. "I could use another nap myself."

"I wish you were in here tonight, you and Wedge, and not a night nurse..."He patted her arm, "I know. I agree, but this was concession we had to make to keep them from hauling you off to a med center with the baby for three days of observation." He hugged her very gently, careful of her belly. "You get to stay home and be poked and prodded night and day by nurses here with Wedge and me, Iella and Tycho, and eventually Syal, too."

"I have a feeling Mirax is going to demand to have her next baby at home. Maybe, we'll start a trend and make home births fashionable."

Wes winced. "As long as she isn't expecting me to deliver her baby, Mirax can give birth anywhere she wants." He helped her back into bed, fetched eggs and toast with jam and a pair of water bottles for her, watching expectantly as she ate and drank. 

When she finished, Iella handed him the empty plate. "Spill."

"There was only one girl name I liked from the list. It was the one Wedge suggested, Myri, so maybe in my head I called her Myri a few times, to try it out."

"And?"

"I'm waiting for the family meeting," Wes told her, stubbornly.

Iella smirked, rolling her eyes. "Wes, we don't need a family meeting for this."

"Yes, we do."

"Uh, no. Wedge suggested Myri, so he obviously likes it. He picked it. I have been calling her Myri in MY head for the last month, too. I asked Winter last week, she and Tycho had already decided to vote for Myri on the day we made the list. You were the only possible hold out."

Wes considered this, surprised. "You called her Myri in your head, too?" 

"Yes. Mirax is going either going to love the idea, or hate it."

"How can she not want a feisty, dark haired half Corellian female to be her namesake?"

"True." Iella nodded. "I'm sure she'll be over in the morning, with Syal, and we can spring it on her. It'll be fun to see her face."

Wes perched on the edge of the bed beside Iella and kissed her temple. "Get some rest."

"I like when you get bossy. It's really hot."

Squeezing his eyes shut, Wes muttered, "Too soon. Can't think about anything remotely sexual after what I witnessed this morning. I'm going to need to start a new journal for this, and I'll probably write a whole book about today for Bran to read and be entertained by at my next therapy session."

"I know exactly how you feel. I think I'm good with stopping at two beautiful, healthy daughters. I'll be lucky if Wedge agrees to have sex with me, ever again, after this morning."

He kissed her on the cheek. "He can watch us have sex. That always gets him in the mood."

"Yeah. Let's circle back to this conversation in about six weeks. Then, we can make a plan.""I love you," Wes told her. 

"Me, or my breasts?"

"Are you making me choose? I refuse to choose just one. I love both you and your breasts."

"I supposed I can live with that." Iella gave him a sly grin. "You don't have to cry for me to come and put my breasts in your mouth. All you have to do is use your words, like a big, grown up boy."

Wes laughed. "I'm holding you to that, you know."

"I know."


End file.
